The new system brought to Brazil allows the Sugar Loaf cable cars to move up and down simultaneously (originally there was only one cable car). The new cars are bigger, safer, and faster. The number of possible passengers the system could handle increased from 115 to more than 1,000 per hour! The cables were replaced and new stations were built.
The new cars hold up to 65 people. All elements of the new system, including speed, are controlled electronically. A total of 43 safety readings are indicated in the panel in the machine room, providing the operator with the status of greasing needs, brake fluid pressure, wind speed, the exact location of the car in mist, and alerting the operator to any failures.
The cable car electronic system takes action automatically in case the readings are outside the safety limits. In the event of an emergency, there is a trapdoor on the floor of the car by which passengers can exit.
The Rio de Janeiro Sugar Loaf second cable car generation was featured in 1979 in the movie Moonraker when James Bond (Roger Moore) rode on top of the cable car and fought against the villain, Jaws. You can see this car, as well as the very first one to come into service, exhibited at Urca Hill, in Rio de Janeiro.
Click here to see photos of Sugar Loaf in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil